Wire rope lubricant comprising a blown petroleum extract and a paraffinic residuum



United States Patent WIRE ROPE LUBRICANT COMPRISING A BLOWN PETROLEUM EXTRACT AND A PARAFFINIC RESIDUUM Joseph W. Romberg, Port Neches, Tex., assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 26, 1952, Serial No. 322,813

4 Claims. (Cl. 196-149) This invention relates to an asphaltic lubricating and coating composition suitable for application to wire ropes.

Wire ropes are lubricated during manufacture and use in order to protect them from deterioration resulting from exposure to the atmosphere and other detrimental elements and to reduce frictional wear. According to a conventional practice, the wire rope is made by twisting a number of wires together and drawing the resulting twisted strands through a die, with a steady stream of the lubricant being applied to the twisted strands just before they pass through the die.

Normally solid asphalt-lo compositions of various types, which require heating for their application, are commonly employed as wire rope lubricants. Such compositions are applied at moderately elevated temperatures, ordinarily in the range from about 225 F. to about 300 F., since it is not practical in operations of this type to maintain the material at higher temperatures, of the order of 500 F. or more, such as are employed with asphaltic compositions in paving, roofing etc. A really satisfactory wire rope lubricant of this type is therefore required to have a very diificultly obtainable combination of viscosity characteristics, since it must have a softening point of at least about 125 F., and preferably of at least about 130 F., in order to prevent melting and running off the wires at elevated atmospheric temperatures of the order to which wire ropes are frequently subjected in storage and in use, and at the same time, for ease of application, it must have a low viscosity at temperatures in about the 225-300 F. range, such that it will flow and spread readily at these temperatures.

In accordance with this invention, an improved Wire rope lubricant is obtained by air blowing a non-paraffinic extract from a paraffin base distillate oil and blending the resulting 'asphaltic product with a paraffinic residual oil in sufficient amount to give a composition having the desired penetration and softening point. i have found that compositions thus obtained have very much lower viscosities in the 225300 F. range for a given softening point and penetration at 77 F. than do the asphaltic compositions of the prior art which have been employed as wire rope lubricants.

Non-parafiinic extracts which may be employed in the production of the blown asphaltic material are obtained by extracting a: paratiinic distillate oil fraction having a viscosity within the lubricating. oil range, and preferably having aSay-bolt Universail viscosity at 210 F. of from about 50 to about 100 seconds, with a selective solvent for aromatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons, such as, for examplc,. sulfur dioxide, nitrobenzene, phenol, furfural, chlorophcnols, aniline, cresylic acid, quinoline, dichloroethyl ether, etc, or with mixtures of such solvents with each other.

The more aromatic and naphthenic extract obtained as described above is blown with air according to conventional procedure, for example at a temperature in the range of about 450 F. to about 525 R, either in the presence or absence of a catalyst, until a product of the desired softening point is obtained. The blowing is suitably carried out until an asphaltic product having a softening point by the A. S. T. M. ring and ball method in the range from about 140 F. to about 250 F., and preferably from about 150 F. to about 200 F., is ob tamed.-

The parafiinic residual oil which is blended with the clown asphaltic material to form the compositions of this invention is a residual fraction from aparafiin base crude, preferably having a viscosity withinthe lubricating oil range. Most advantageously, it is a fraction having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. in the range from about 100 to 300 seconds. Both this residuum and the distillate oil from which the extract is obtained may be crude petroleum fractions, obtained directly from the distillation of petroleum, or they may be refined oils obtained by various conventional refining processes.

The proportions in which the blown asphaltic material and the parafiinic residual oil are blended may. vary widely, depending upon the characteristics of the materials employed and upon the properties of the final product desired. In general, the proportions of these materials employed may be such that the final product contains from about 30 to about 80 percent by volume of the blown asphaltic product and about 70 to about 20 percent by volume of the parafiinic residual oil, and preferably from about 45 to about 75 percent of the asphaltic material and about 55 to about 25 percent by volume of the residual oil. in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, the asphaltic product and the residual oil are blended in suitable proportions to give a final product having a penetration at 77 F. in the range 7 having a softening point of 186 from about to about and a softening point by the ring and ball method in the range from about F. to about F.

The following examples are illustrative of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

EXAMPLE I A lubricant composition was prepared comprising a blend of 50 parts by volume of a blown furfural extract F. and a penetration at 77 F. of 8, with 50 parts per volume of residual oil from a parafiin base crude, having an A. P. I. gravity of 21.1", a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of 210 seconds and a flash point, COC, of 570 F. The blown furfural extract was obtained by air blowing a furfural extract from a wax distillate 40 cut from a paraffin base crude, the extract having an A. P. I. gravity of 11.4, a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of 301 seconds and a flash point, COC, of 525 F. The air blowing was carried out at a temperature of 450-525 F. for about 30 hours in the absence of a catalyst. The blend of the blown asphaltic material and the residual oil was prepared by mixing the two materials together in the above proportions and heating the mixture with stirring at 350 F. for about thirty minutes, until. a 'srn-oothire'mogeneous product was obtained.

EXAMPLE n tained by blowing an extract from a wax distillate 40 similar to that employed in Example I. The paratfin base residuum was a 20.4 A. P. I. gravity oil having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of 218 seconds and a flasli point, COC, of 565 F.

3 EXAMPLE 111 Another lubricant composition was prepared as described in Example I, employing 60 parts per volume of blown furfural extract and 40 parts per volume of paraffin base residuum. The blown furfural extract was a mixture of 22 parts of a blown furfural extract having a softening point of 143 F. and 38 parts of a blown furfural extract having a softening point of 161 F., obtained by blowing an extract from a wax distillate 40 similar to that employed in Example I. The paraflinic residuum was the same as that employed in Example I. Table I below shows the viscosity characteristics in the 225-300" F. range of the lubricants of the above examples (Nos. 5, 6 and 7, respectively, in the table) as compared with compositions representative of asphaltic lubricating and coating compositions of the prior art, made up to approximately the same softening point and penetration at 77 F.

The naphthenic residuum employed in lubricant No. 2 of the table was a 9.9 A. P. I. gravity residuum obtained from a naphthenic type crude by ordinary distillation, having a flash point of 510 F. and a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of 1170 seconds. The naphthenic residuum employed in lubricant No. 4 was a 14.7 A. P. I. gravity vacuum residuum from a naphthenic type crude, having a flash point of 525 F. and a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. of 518 seconds. The air blown naphthenic residua employed in lubricants Nos. 1 and 3 were asphalts having softening points of about 115 F. and about 200 F., respectively, obtained by blowing a naphthenic residuum of the same type as that employed as the fiuxing oil in lubricant No. 2. The air blown paraf finic residua employed in lubricants Nos. 1 and 2 were asphalts having softening points of about 160 F. and 228 F., respectively, obtained by blowing a parafiinic residuum of the same type as that employed as fluxing oil in the examples of the invention.

Table I No 1. l 2 3 4 5 G 7 Composition, percent by volume Paraflinlc residuum 120. Naphthenic resi(luuin 20 34 Air blown paraflfinic residuum 120 66 80 Air blown extract from wax Y distillate 40 66 50 51 Tests:

So itg ning Point, R. & B., Penetrations t '7? i Viscosity SF/225 F Viscosity SFI3GOF 63 126 49 55 34 36 32 As shown by the above table, all of the lubricants representative of this invention (Nos. 5, 6 and 7) had very low viscosities in the 225300 F. temperature range, not obtainable with other asphaltic compositions comprising either an asphalt of difierent type, i. e., obtained by blowing a petroleum fraction of different type, or a fluxing oil of different type. The lubricants of this invention were outstandingly superior in the desired viscosity characteristics to a composition comprising both an asphalt of different type and a fluxing oil of different type (No. 2), and also to a composition comprising an asphalt of the same type blended with a naphthenic rather than a paraffinic residual oil (No. 4). They were also markedly superior to a composition comprising a fluxing oil of the same type with an asphalt obtained by blowing a non- 4 parain'nic oil of different type, i. e., a naphthenic residuum (No. 3).

As can be readily seen from the foregoing, asphaltic compositions vary widely and unpredictably in their viscosity characteristics acocrding to the type of asphaltic material and also according to the type of fluxing oil employed, and the unusual viscosity characteristics of the compositions of this invention are, therefore, critically dependent upon the special combination of an asphalt of the type described with a parafiinic residual oil.

in addition to their special viscosity characteristics in the 225-300 F. temperature range, the lubricants of this invention have also been found to have all of the other properties required of a very superior wire rope lubricant, including a suitably small change in penetration in the 32-115 F. range, good pliability at low temperatures and excellent rust protectiveness. In comparative tests with a commercial wire rope lubricant of the best grade available, lubricants of this invention were found to have both superior viscosity characteristics at 225-300 F. and superior rust protectiveness, as shown by both the Salt Spray Test (Federal Specification VV-L-79l, Method 4001.1) and the Humidity Cabinet Test (JAN-H-792), being substantially equivalent in all other respects.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wire rope lubricant consisting essentially of a blend of about 30 to 80 percent by volume of an asphaltic product having a softening point in about the range -250 F. with about 70-20 percent by volume of a paraifin base residuum having a viscosity in the lubricating oil range, said asphaltic product being obtained by air blowing a petroleum extract obtained by extracting a paraffin base distillate oil having a viscosity in the lubricating oil range with a selective solvent for non-parafiinic hydrocarbons, said blend having a penetration at 77 F. in about the range 90-120 and a softening point in about the range Bil- F.

2. A wire rope lubricant as defined in claim 1 wherein the said parafiin base residuum has a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. in about the range 100-300 seconds.

3. A wire rope lubricant as defined in claim 1 wherein the said lubricant consists of a blend of about 45-75 percentby volume of the said asphaltic product having a softening point in about the range -200" F. with about 55-25 percent by volume of the said parafiin base residuum having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 210 F. in about the range 190-240 seconds.

4. A Wire rope lubricant as defined in claim 1 wherein the said lubricant consists essentially of a blend of about 50 percent by volume of the said asphaltic product having a softening point in about the range -190 F. with about 50 percent by volume of the said paraffin base residuum having a Saybolt Universal viscosity at about 210 F. in about the range -240 seconds.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,694 Smith et al Jan. 24, 1939 2,201,396 Fryar May 21, 1940 2,237,682 McLennan Apr. 8, 1941 2,450,756 Hoiberg Oct. 5, 1948 2,488,293 Hoiberg Nov. 15, 1949 2,625,510 Moore Jan. 13, 1953 

1. A WIRE ROPE LUBRICANT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A BLEND OF ABOUT 30 TO 80 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF AN ASPHALTIC PRODUCT HAVING A SOFTENING POINT IN ABOUT THE RANGE 140-250*F. WITH ABOUT 70-20 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF A PARAFFIN BASE RESIDUUM HAVING A VISCOSITY IN THE LUBRICATING OIL RANGE, SAID ASPHALTIC PRODUCT BEING OBTAINED BY AIR BLOWING A PETROLEUM EXTRACT OBTAINED BY EXTRACTING A PARAFFIN BASE DISTILLATE OIL HAVING A VISCOSSITY IN THE LUBRICATING OIL RANGE WITH A SELECTIVE SOLVENT FOR NON-PARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS, SAID BLEND HAVING A PENETRATING AT 77*F. IN ABOUT THE RANGE 90-120 AND A SOFTENING POINT IN ABOUT THE RANGE 130-145*F. 